Facts about rattlesnakes

The following article was written by Fred Tarnaski of Pennsylvania (also known as Fred the Snakeman on Facebook, a name bestowed upon him by children who have attended his snake presentations).  Because it contains good information regarding a feared reptile, we have reprinted it here with his kind permission:

 

1. Rattlesnakes do not lay eggs. They birth live young. Your kids will never bring home Rattlesnake eggs.

2. Rattlesnakes do not go out of their way to bite anything larger than they can eat. Most bites are the result of people ignoring warnings and trying to handle them or accidentally stepping on/touching one not seeing it. Some of those times the snake injects no venom at all. Never count on that. If it happens, seek medical attention. Death from a Rattlesnake bite is possible but extremely rare. Most deaths are due to other medical complications the victim has and/or anaphylaxis (allergic to the venom).

3. Baby Rattlesnakes are not, I repeat, are NOT more deadly than adults. They do have a little more potency to their venom but nowhere near the volume of an adult. They need the higher toxicity to make up for the small amount they have. The volume they can deliver, or lack thereof, makes that myth just that, a myth. It’s been proven that they can in fact control their venom injection as well.

4. Rattlesnakes do not “travel down the hill to get water”. This common myth is confused with mating season. Males will travel to find females. Just so happens it’s during the warmer part of the season. I see many snakes that never leave the mountains. They drink morning dew from their scales and other objects as well as drink from leaves and puddles during and after rain.

5. If bitten by a Rattlesnake you do not need to capture and/or kill the snake for identification. The United States has one antivenom for all North American Pit Vipers. CroFab. It covers every species of Rattlesnake (some better than others) as well as Copperheads and Cottonmouths, aka Water Moccasins. The only snake that has a separate antivenom in the US is a Coral Snake. Trying to capture a snake that bit you is useless and a waste of time, not to mention the huge risk of taking another bite.

6. Rattlesnakes, or any Pit Viper, for that matter are not capable of breeding with a non-venomous snake that, in the stories, makes a highly venomous, harmless looking snake. It is something that has never happened nor will it happen. It’s biologically impossible.

7. Rattlesnakes are shy and elusive creatures. They don’t want to be seen or bothered. They rely on their camouflage to help them out with that. That’s their first line of defense. They lay perfectly still and let the possible threat continue to walk by not giving themselves away. 2nd line of defense is escape. 3rd, if they don’t have a quick escape they rattle and sometimes hiss. 4th, if all else is ignored, a bite. Not something they want to do but we have to appreciate the fact that they have to deal with a number of predators all their lives and anything bigger than them in the wild usually tries to eat them.

8. You cannot tell how old a Rattlesnake is by how many rattles they have. They add a new segment each time they shed. Babies and juveniles shed several times a year. Adults shed a few times a year. Also, rattles break off in rocks and such.

9. Rattlesnakes help keep Lyme disease controlled. They eat thousands of ticks that are on the rodents they eat every year. Not to mention rodent-spread diseases that are communicable to humans. They are kept in check as well. They do a lot of good for the human race. We generally don’t repay that debt

10. Timber Rattlesnakes reproduce slowly. It can take a female Timber Rattlesnake 7 plus years to reach sexual maturity. Once they do they can only have young once every three years. On average they have about 6 to 8 babies at a time. Out of those babies, maybe only 2 or none will make it to adulthood due to the high mortality rate due to predators and disease.

Bonus fact: If we watch our step and we are aware of our surroundings in the wilderness, I’m living proof we can easily coexist with these magnificent animals. Here in Pennsylvania it is illegal to just randomly kill a Rattlesnake. Leave them be, give them space and respect. If you can do that, I guarantee you they will leave you alone. By killing snakes not only do you hurt their population, but you affect the ecosystem. Take away snakes and you take away another predator’s food source as well as welcome an abundance of rodents that can wreak havoc on everyday human life.

 

3 thoughts on “Facts about rattlesnakes”

  1. I am an avid hiker in Colorado and last year had an encounter with a fairly large rattlesnake on a trail in the foothills. We were on a narrow path and couldn’t turn back or go around the snake. It continued to coil and rattle at us, even after we backed off and held still. We needed to get down the trail, so my husband managed to knock it off the trail with a large rock and we ran past as fast as we could.

    I’d like to know if there are better ways to get around a snake in an instance like that. The path was too narrow and no way to go back. What would you do in a situation like that? I’m afraid to go hiking below 8500 feet now.

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

    Reply

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